


Meditation Through Motion

by Lokisgame



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 07:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13453800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: These days the armrest between them went down only when they were working.





	Meditation Through Motion

From the day she first saw him and noticed his lips, she was mesmerized by their full bottom lip. The way he smiled, dimples in his cheeks, sweet and honest. When he leaned over to whisper in her ear, she couldn’t help but think how soft they must feel. Was he gentle but insistent or tantalizingly confident, or maybe what struck her was the vulnerability he shared the second day since they met.

He nibbled on seeds, a steady rhythm of crunch and spit, keeping his hands busy, compelled to keep moving. Tapping one foot on the side of his desk, rocking in his chair, gnawing on pens and pencils, restless energy searching for an outlet, pushing him forward, often in the arms of trouble. Sometimes she could swear, he believed no one cared.   
But in time he became her strength, her smile and pain. Reckless but loving, ready to sacrifice anything for her. He kept her moving, running after him into the mouth of danger, holding his lifeline, a partner and friend.

Mulder sat with his ankles crossed on top of the desk, lost in his world of mysteries and legends, conspiracies and secrets, fantastic creatures and beings from outer space. A deep dark forest, where only cunning foxes knew the secret paths.  
Scully watched him from the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but wonder, if she could bring him back, for a little while. She didn’t want to change him, his work was hers now as well. She had her own little tree den out there, gathering her own questions like a squirrel, hoping one day she’ll find the answers.  
However, there were moments when she saw him slouching over his desk and wanted to run her hands over his shoulders. Moments when she wanted to ease his aches and pains and watch him relax. Make-something-better days, make someone’s world better with her own hands through simple touch and knowledge that she did it willingly and that it was appreciated.

These days the armrest between them went down only when they were working. In the cramped space of two adjacent last minute seats every inch counted. The way she shifted her legs fourth time in the last fifteen minutes meant that for every miracle there was a price to pay and that Mulder must be covering his share and a generous tip.   
Lights dim in the cabin, Scully looked out the window into the rainy darkness, imagining time winding back, mile after mile, day after day, not to change things, but to remember. Their first night in Oregon, his arms closing around her, this crazy stranger trying to be her friend, sharing his secrets in a rundown motel.   
She didn’t notice when he grew still and quiet, arms folded over his chest, legs stretched almost into the isle. Feeling his head drop to her shoulder also was nothing new, but when his weight shifted, sliding against her side, the only thing she could do was catch. She moved away, shoes already kicked off and one leg folded under herself, letting him slip into her lap. He didn’t wake, exhaustion overpowering even his permanent insomnia. Head resting on her thigh, her arm around him for lack of a better spot, he shifted an inch, she shifted one inch, and they settled for something vaguely resembling comfort.   
The passing stewardess caught her eye, blanket in hand, half a gesture, a slight nod. Blue polyester loaded with static covered his shoulders, the warmth welcome as he relaxed.  
Somewhere, between staring out the window, and Mulder stirring in her lap, she began combing her fingers through his hair, like a meditation through motion. She thought of the miles they traveled, the roads and paths behind them and before them. Bound to each other in every way, but the widely understood definition of that term.


End file.
